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Fremantle Press arrivals and departures

Fremantle Press lighthouse logo. Thursday, 4 December 2025
Fremantle Press has appointed Aimee Harrison as marketing and communications assistant, and farewelled publicist Adam Matthews, who is setting up his own bookstore, Page Boys. Fremantle Press CEO Alex Allan said,...

Writing Australia appointments

Thursday, 4 December 2025
Writing Australia has announced the appointment of Léa Antigny as program manager and Emily Stewart as senior project officer. Antigny has worked at Text Publishing, Pan Macmillan, Giramondo and Pantera...

Meerkat acquires Bacon’s first Sauútiverse novel

Cover of Eugen Bacon’s 'Crimson in Quietus'. Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Meerkat Press has acquired African-Australian author and editor Eugen Bacon’s Crimson in Quietus, the first novel set in the speculative Afrocentric Sauútiverse. Crimson in Quietus spans the five-planet Sauútiverse, which...

A&U acquires Wilkinson’s new YA novel

Photo of author Lili Wilkinson. Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to YA novel Lavender and Hemlock by Lili Wilkinson, in a deal negotiated by Katelyn Detweiler and Sam Farkas at Jill Grinberg...

Grattan releases PM summer reading list

Cover of Cordelia Fine's 'Patriarchy, Inc.'. Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Melbourne-based think tank Grattan Institute has announced its 2025 Summer Reading List for the Prime Minister. Grattan Institute selects five books each year which it recommends to the prime minister,...

Senior editor, New South Wales

Wednesday, 3 December 2025
HarperCollins Publishers HarperCollins Publishers has an exciting opportunity for an experienced book editor to join the HarperCollins Adult Books team. This is a full-time position, based at our head office...

Rockpool acquires Major Street

An image of Rockpool Publishing and Major Street Publishing logos. Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Rockpool Publishing has announced its acquisition of independent Australian publisher Major Street Publishing. Rockpool will now “assume ownership of Major Street’s brand, frontlist, backlist and author relationships,” said organisers. Major...

Bundyi acquires Sawyer’s debut

A photo of Luca Sawyer standing outside. Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Bundyi has acquired world rights to Luca Sawyer’s novel Nightcrawlers. Written from a First Nations perspective, Sawyer’s debut explores leaving Country, the experience of urban isolation, and the challenges posed...

MUP acquires Stafford nonfiction

Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) has acquired world rights to The Wanted and Unwanted by Annabel Stafford, in a deal brokered by Jeanne Ryckmans at Key People Creative Management. According to the publisher,...

Walker Books partners with Messy Press

An image of the Walker Books logo and the Messy Press logo. Monday, 1 December 2025
Walker Books Australia has announced a new partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand children’s publishing studio Messy Press. Walker Books will “look after sales, distribution and marketing” for the independent children’s...

Living Libraries Infrastructure Program funding announced

Monday, 1 December 2025
The Victorian Government has announced the 2025–26 funding round of the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program (LLIP). The 18 libraries across the state receiving funding are: Banyule City Council – Olympic...

Vale Graeme Turner

Photo of Graeme Turner. Monday, 1 December 2025
Cultural studies academic Graeme Turner, author of books including The Shrinking Nation (UQP, 2023), has died. His most recent publisher, Monash University Publishing, pays tribute: With great sadness we share that...

MidnightSun Publishing launches picture book prize

An image of the MidnightSun picture book proze logo. Monday, 1 December 2025
MidnightSun Publishing has announced the MidnightSun Picture Book Prize, a new manuscript prize for emerging or established picture book writers across Australia. Entries are open until 25 December, with the...

Magabala acquires Pascoe & Norris’s “Big Sky”

A photo of Bruce Pascoe. He stands outside and is wearing a red shirt. Monday, 1 December 2025
Magabala Books has acquired Big Sky: When the Emu Left the Earth by First Nations author Bruce Pascoe and astrophysicist Ray Norris. A Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man, Pascoe is...

Morton wins Walkley for “Mean Streak”

Cover of Rick Morton’s 'Mean Streak'. Monday, 1 December 2025
Mean Streak (Fourth Estate), Rick Morton’s account of the robodebt scandal, has won this year’s Walkley Book Award. Judges said, “Mean Streak is a riveting and detailed exposition of government...

Penguin Children’s Bookseller Grant recipients announced

Penguin Children's Bookseller Grant image Friday, 28 November 2025
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has announced the recipients of the $200,000 grant aiming to “recognise and empower booksellers who are passionate about inspiring the next generation of readers”. The...

SLV responds to reports on cuts

State LIbrary Victoria Redmond Barry Reading Room Thursday, 27 November 2025
State Library Victoria (SLV) has responded to reports of changes to its services and staffing. On 21 November, the Age reported leaked details of cuts at SLV: “As outlined to...

Woollahra Digital Literary Award 2025 winners announced

Thursday, 27 November 2025
The winners of the 2025 Woollahra Digital Literary Awards have been announced. The winning works in each category are: Fiction ($2500) Nadia Mahjouri for The Miracle (published in Island Magazine) Nonfiction ($2500)...

A&U acquires Hardy’s memoir and novel

An image of Emma Hardy. Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Emma Hardy’s memoir Periodic Bitch and a planned novel, in a two-book deal brokered by Michaela McGuire at a4 Literary. According...

ASP distributes Script list of publishers

Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Australian Scholarly Publishing (ASP) is now the Australian, New Zealand and Oceania agent and distributor for the Academic & Professional Division of Script Publishing Services UK, which represents a large list...

Trade Christmas closing dates 2025 (updated)

Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Books+Publishing has collated company closing dates for the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The last Books+Publishing newsletter of the year will be Friday, 12 December and the first newsletter...

Change for Perentie Press

Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Publisher: Perentie Press Old distributor: No previous distributor New distributor: NewSouth Books Changeover date: Immediate effect Returns cut-off: Not applicable

A&U acquires accessible picture book

Nas Campanella and Eliza Hull in front of Richard Dunn's painting, Redbank Gorge, MacDonnell Ranges, c. 1936-37 (after Albert Namatjira), 2002-2010, from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia Collection. Copyright The Estate of Richard Dunn, courtesy Charles Nodrum Gallery. Photograph by Tim Harris, Red Antler Photography. Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to All the Ways I See, by Nas Campanella and Eliza Hull, in a deal brokered by Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown. Sophie...

Text Publishing congratulates James Islington

Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Victorian author James Islington has enjoyed an outstanding first week of sales for THE STRENGTH OF THE FEW. This second novel in the Hierarchy series is #1 on the New...

Thom-Jones takes out top Scarlet Stiletto Award

Winner Sandra Thom-Jones (right) with prize presenter Dinuka McKenzie. Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Author Sandra Thom-Jones has won first prize in Sisters in Crime’s 32nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards for her short story “Der Hölle Rache”. Thom-Jones, who identifies as neurodivergent, said, “I’m still...

HarperCollins acquires new Swann novel

Photo of Leah Swann. Tuesday, 25 November 2025
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to Leah Swann’s novel Later, Only Love Remains, in a deal brokered by Gaby Naher at the Naher Agency. Described by the publisher as a...